|
Kurdistani docs visit to learn new
techniques in USA
16.3.2007
By Dan McFeely |
|
|
|
Cut off
for years due to war, they have made the trip to
gain more up-to-date medical knowledge
March 16, 2007
As a young man, Dr. Ibrahim Salah joined thousands
of his fellow Kurds on a mass exodus -- an escape,
on foot, from deadly chemical bombs being dropped on
their villages by Saddam Hussein.
That was on "Bloody Friday" in March 1988, when one
of those bombs struck the city of Halabja, killing
5,000 people almost instantly and an estimated 7,000
more in the next few days.
Salah fled for his life, along with his wife.
Today, he flees his country not out of fear --
Kurdistan today is one of the safer regions in Iraq
-- but out of a quest for medical knowledge.
"We have been separated from the rest of the world
for 10 to 15 years," said Salah, who is 50 years old
and has a shiny head with little hair and a big
smile for visitors.
"We want to get information on medical technique and
science. We are coming here to learn, not just
surgery, but how the hospital system works." |
Podiatrist Dr. Patrick DeHeer (left) performs a bone
fusion procedure on a patient's big toe at Johnson
Memorial Hospital in Franklin as Iraqi surgeon Dr.
Ibrahim Salah looks on. They worked together March
8. - Photo: Indy.Star |
Last week, the Kurdish doctor made his first trip to
America to spend several days training and learning
from Carmel podiatrist Dr. Patrick DeHeer, who also
maintains offices in Columbus and Franklin.
DeHeer, 42, typically travels to underdeveloped
Third World countries to help people with club feet
and other problems. He has been to Iraq, Haiti,
Honduras, Trinidad and Ukraine. He leaves again for
Haiti in two weeks.
But this time, he played host to Salah and, last
month, to another Iraqi doctor who came for a brief
visit. DeHeer met them when he was in Iraq last
year.
Kurdistan, during Hussein's reign, was pretty much
blocked off from society, Salah said in an interview
last week at Sycamore Springs Surgery Center in
Castleton, where he and DeHeer spent time looking
over the latest in surgical tools used in America.
A long gap in getting medical technology has left
otherwise well-trained medical professionals at a
disadvantage.
"They are very good surgeons," said DeHeer, who has
spent time with them in Kurdistan. "They just need
more special training and experience with surgery."
Like many struggling areas of the world, club feet
are a big problem. And in Kurdistan, people also
face major problems with diabetes, which means there
are lots of amputations and disease-related
conditions.
"We have a lot of cases of diabetic foot disease and
club feet," said Salah. "We have a lot of traumatic
injuries like from accidents. And we have a lot of
polio."
There is a general hospital in the Kurdish city of
Erbil -- where Salah lives with his family -- but
DeHeer said its level of care is what you would find
in many underdeveloped countries. Major problems
persist, including lack of supplies and modern
techniques.
Club foot is prevalent for many children around the
world. But in more advanced areas -- such as the
United States and Europe -- it is caught in newborns
and quickly fixed using plaster and casts, according
to DeHeer.
During his first trip to the States, Salah had
various uniquely American experiences, including
attending a recent Who concert in Indianapolis.
During his stay -- made possible in part by Sen.
Evan Bayh's office, which helped the two doctors
obtain hard-to-get passports -- Salah plans to visit
with friends in Chicago and Detroit, and hopes to
enjoy a short trip to Las Vegas.
"This is a nice country. The people here are very
kind," he said.
When he returns to Kurdistan, he hopes to continue
working toward establishing a new surgical center in
Erbil. He is trying raise up to $2 million, which
DeHeer said he will help with.
Salah, who said his country has been through many
struggles, maintains high hopes for the future.
"We want to rebuild our infrastructure and build a
democracy," he said. "It is not so easy. It needs
time. And it will be hard on all Iraq and Kurdish
people."
indystar com
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 